Signal lamp



(No Model.)

J. LYLE.

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Unirse i?A FFCE@ ATENJT SIGNAL- LAVlP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 362,895, dated May l0, 188'7.

Application filed July 15, 1886. Serial No.208,065.

(No model.l Patented in France November 8, 1885, No. 172,018; in England May 1S, 1886, No. 6,682; in New South \Vales June 1S and Septe1nbc128, 1886, No.1,931; in Belgium June 22, 1886, No. 78,575; in Italy Julie 30, 1886, No. 20,142; in India August 4, 1886, No. 135; in Victoria August E), 1886, No. 4,661; in Spain September 25, 1986, No. 6,085, and in Austria-Hungary October 7, 1886, No. 30,197 and No. 37,413.

To all whom it may conce/711:

Be it known that 1, JAMES LYLE, a subject ofthe Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, and a resident of Paisley, county ofRenfrew, Scotland, have invented certain Improvements in Spray-Lamps (which has been patented in France November 8, 1885, No. 172,018; in England May 18, 1886, No. 6,682; in New South Vales June 18 and September 28, 1886, N o. 1,981; in Belgium lTune 22, 1886, No. 78,575; in Italy June 80, 1886, No. 20,142; in India August 4, 1886, No. 185; in Victoria August 9,1886, No. 4,661; in Spain September 25, 1886, No. 6,085, and in Austria-Hungary October 7, 1886, No. 80,197 and No. 87,418,) of which the following is a specilieation.

The invention relates to lamps constructed for burning oil in the form of spray produced by the action of compressed air upon the oil, a large and brilliantly illuminating flame being obtained in such lamps from oil of a very inexpensive kind. Such inexpensive oil is, however, unfortunately always in a very impure condition, having generally drops ofwater mingled with it, as well as earthy and other solid impurities, which interfere with the working of the lamp. By causing interruptions in the ilow oi' the oil at the burner ornozzle, from which the spray is ejected, drops of water or other impurities make the flame go out, and thereby produce serious inconvenience; and it is defects of this kind which it is the principal object of the present invention to remedy, improvements in various details being, however, also included.

In my improved lamp, which is shown in the accompanying explanatory drawings, the inconvenience of interruption ot' the flame is sought to be remedied by providing for the maintenance of a constant auxiliary flame close to the main jet of spray, such auxiliary iiame instantly reigniting the main iiame, should it be momentarily put out throughinterruption in the flow ofthe oil.

Figure 1 is a vertical section of the entire apparatus, excepting the apparatus for compressing the air, and which may be of any convenient kind. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section as taken across the burner-cup 28, and Fig. 8 is a transverse vertical section of a part ofthe valve details.

The apparatus shown in Fig. 1 comprises a closed tank or vessel, 81, for containing the oil, and which is fitted with a comparativelylarge screw-plug, 82, for giving access for cleaning the interior, while for merely filling in oil the large plug is Iitted with asmall screwplug, 88. The bottom ofthe vessel 81 is made higher in the middle, so that sedimentary matters may tend to pass to the sides, and a screw discharge-plug, 84, is fitted at one point, there being formed in connection with this plug a small passage, which is opened by slightly unscrewing the plug, and which serves for ascertaining if there is water at the bottoni ofthe oil and for letting it out. l

The upper parts of the apparatus are carried by two tubes, 85 86, which may be ofany convenient length, and which have their lower ends fixed to the vessel 81 by internallyscrewed coupling-rings 87 88, supplemented by jam-nuts, and screwed upon the upper ends of lower tubes, 89 40, projecting through the top of the vessel. rlhe tubes 89 40 also project through the bottom of the vessel 8l, and are there held by external screwcaps, 41 42, which are themselves fitted with screwplugs to give access to instrun'ients for cleaning the tubes 89 40 and 85 86. Inside the vessel 81 larger tubes, 48 44, are placed outside ofthe tubes 89 40, to serve as struts when tightening the screw-caps 41 42 and the screw coupling-rings 87 88 upon the ends of the tubes 89 40. Compressed air has access by one line of tubes, 85 89, tothe vessel 81, and the oil is by the compressed air made to ascend the other line of tubes, 40 86, the oil entering these tubes by holes 45 near the bottom, while the compressed air issues from holes 46 near the bottom of the tubes 89 48 on the side facing the oil-ascension tube, so that the current produced by thejet of air may tend to move away any sedimentary matter that may be lodging near the oil-inlet holes 45.

The upper ends of the air-tube 85 and oiltube 86 have iixcd to them, by screw-coup lings 47 48, a casting, 49, formed with various passages and fitted with various valves and connections, and having projecting up from its upper part an outer nozzle, 17, and au inner nozzle, 26, from which the compressed air and oil issue. The compressed air, being led to the apparatus byA an inlet-pipe, 8, iitted with a stop-cock, 9, enters the upper part of a vessel, 12, in which it can deposit any drops of moisture brought over by it, this vessel being tted with a discharge-cock, 13, for pe'' riodically removing water. A tube, 11, dips down into the moisturecollecting vessel 12 from a piece, 10, and the air passes up this tube 11 `and through a passage, 16, into a passage, 50, formed in the casting 49. Directly above the top of the tube 11 there is iitted a small escape-valve, 19, loaded to suit the desired pressure of air and allowing some of the air to escape when its pressure is too high. The air-inlet passage 50 in the casting 49 communicates with an annular space, 51, formed in the casting, and which is in communication with the annular space between the two nozzles 17 26, and this annular space also communicates, by a passage, 52,v with the top of the tube 35, leading down to thc oil vessel or reservoir 31. In this way the compressed air not only supplies the jet from the nozzle 17 for throwing the oil into spray, but also presses on the oil in the vessel `31, so as to raise it up to the burner. The air entering the vessel 31 rises through the oil to thetop of it, and when the supply stop-cock 9 is shut oft would continue to press on the oil and force it up when not required, were it not that a small by-pass valve, 53, is iitted tothe air-tube 39 near the top of the vessel. This valve is arranged to open inward toward the tube when the pressure inside the vessel is greater than in the tube, as is the case when the supply of compressed air is shut olii-the air then escaping through the nozzle 17.

Above the part where the oil-ascension tube 36 is connected to the casting 49 there is formed a cross-passage, which is shown in Fig. 3, and which is fitted with two screw-plug valves, 54 55, having their spindles passed through stu ft'- ing-boxes. One, 54, of these valves gives access to 'a passage, 56, Fig. l, by which the oil can reach a central vertical passage, 57, leading up to the inner nozzle, 26. A screw cupeshaped plug, 58, is iitted to the bottom of the space below the central passage,57, and gives access for cleaning, while sedimentary matter can deposit in the cup andV be removed with it. The other screw'plug, 55, gives access to a branch tube, 59, .which is jointed to the casting 49 and serves for supplying an oil-dish, 60, fixed so as to surround the .burner-nozzles 26 17 and burner cup or cone 23.

The oildish 60' is provided for the purpose of maintaining a constant auxiliary fiame for reigniting the main flame in the event of its going out from any cause. The dish 60 is made with an annular cover, 61, and the burner cup or cone 23 is entered down through the center of it, a ange, 62,'-formed on the cone, resting on the annular cover and closing the opening round the c one.. The burner cup or cone 23 is made with an open bottom, being supported in a proper position concentric with the burnernozzle 17 by means of radial feathers 63,

formed on its inside. Screws 64in small swiveling brackets are provided for fixing the. iiange 62 of the cone to the annular cover 6l of the oil-dish 60. The oil in the dish 60 has access at the bottom to the interior of the cone 23, and, becoming heated by the heat communicated from the main iiameto the cone, is vaporized at its surface. The vapor becomes ignited and maintains a small auxiliary iiame round the nozzle 17, which effectively serves the desired object of reigniting the main flame when interrupted from any cause. rlhe outside of the cone 23 is, by preference, coated with asbestus or other suitable non-conducting substance, as indicated by the thick black lines, -so as not to communicate too much heat to the oil in the outer part of the dish 60.

In the cross-passage shown in Fig. 3 there is fitted a small valve, 65, with its stem passing out and having a small spring applied to it. When this valve 65 is depressed, it closes a passage, 66, leading from the top of the oiltube 36 into the cross-passage, and thereby stops the flow of oil. The reignition of the main iiame can at any time be tested by momentarily closing this valve 65, and thereby interrupting the flow of oil. The valve 65, however, serves another purpose'which is of great value. It can be used to make the lamp give ilash-signals, and when it is intended to use it for that purpose in situations where it Vmay be inconvenient to manipulate the valve 65 directly, any convenient arrangement of wires or cords and levers or other suitable gear may be provided for acting. on the valve from a greater or less distance.

In the drawings the spray-lamp is shown as arranged for projecting the jet of spray and flame in a vertical direction. It may, however, when desired, be arranged to project the llame in an inclined or even horizontal direc` tion. When the lamp is arranged to give a horizontal or more or less inclined ame and is to be provided with the auxiliary reigniting flame, the dish or vessel G0 must be formed or fixed at the lower side and be made ofa suitable shape. There must at the same time be provided a cup into the bottom of which the oil will have access from the vessel 60, (in` stead of into the bottom of the cone 23,) and the open top of this cup should be immediately under the main jet or flame just where that jet is issuing from the nozzle 17.

1. The combination of parts forming an improved spray-lamp, and consisting of a couibustion-cone having within it an outer nozzle for compressed air, inclosing an inner'concentric nozzle for oil, and having surrounding it a dish to contain oil, the bottom of the cone being open to admit oil to the interior,where it may be vaporized, and'maintain a constant auxiliary iiame for reigniting the main ame4 when required, substantially as hereinbefore described.

2. The combination, with the main parts of a spraydamp, of a dish for oil surrounding Ilo the burner-nozzles and combustion-cone ar ranged for maintaining a constant auxiliary llame, and a spring-valve arranged for momentarily stopping the low of oil to the main iiame for the purpose of making Hash-signals, substantially as hcreinbeforc described.

3. The improved oil tank or vessel iiited with one tube admitting compressed air, and with a second tube for the ascension of the oil, both tubes having perforations near the bottom, and being` fixed by scre\\'-eaps on their bottom ends projecting through holes in the bottom of the Vessel and by screw couplingrings on their upper ends projecting through holes in the top of the vessel, and with outer 

